


Stranded

by JRH_TheLighthouseKeeper_97



Category: Subnautica (Video Game), jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: BEHOLD, M/M, Moogle ship, Subnautica AU, human!google, human!marvin, my rare pair, theyre cute and i will die on this hill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28425147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JRH_TheLighthouseKeeper_97/pseuds/JRH_TheLighthouseKeeper_97
Summary: Dr. Gordon Rosenfield had walked steadily in life, knowing exactly where he was going and what he was going to do there, far among the stars.Marvin Stellaerran had fought for a place of his own since childhood, taking a chance at behest of his brother on a ship, heading somewhere far away.Fate brought them together on a strange planet of alien life and water as far as the eye can see.Will they find something neither of them ever believed was meant for them together? Or will they perish on the world where secrets run deeper then the sea?
Relationships: Moogle - Relationship, marvin the magnificent/googleplier, marvin/google
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Waking Up

Before he even opens his eyes, Gordon can tell he's on the sea.  
The back and forth rocking of his escape pod and the strong smell of salt in the air reminds him of the fishing trips his Uncle would take him on in his youth.  
Black eyes with a ring of electric blue open slowly, finding a shadowed cabin with a single flashing red light flickering overhead. His dark hair covered head throbs painfully, but beyond it and what he finds to be a few other scraps and bruises, he's surprised to be in one piece.  
Moving on shaky legs, holding onto the ladder for support, he finds that his enhancements are offline, though judging by the state of his pod, he's not surprised.  
"Let's get a lay of the land... Perhaps I am closer to a shore then it seems."  
Rung by rung he climbs, reaching the hatch where he fumbles with the wheel before pushing it open.  
Bright sunlight comes pouring in and he pulls himself up, squinting his eyes until they adjust and he feels a horror seep into his body liked he'd never experienced in his nearly thirty years of life.  
Water. Nothing but water as far as his eyes could see, and even without their enhancements, that was very far indeed. To his right, a fair kilometer away, is what remains of the Aurora.  
The smouldering wreckage of the vast space faring vessel casts plumes of black smoke to the baby blue sky, fires burning in bright oranges and reds against the simple black, white and yellow stripes of the ship.  
Gordon had never been a sentimental man. Some often referred to him as cold and distant, a man who excelled in his work yet never showed pride in it.  
But now, as he watches the ship he'd believed would carry him to his dream, living on a whole new world, burn with those he'd have created such a world with, he felt a kind of sorrow make its home in his chest.  
He closes his eyes for a moment then turns away from the wreck, and it's in that moment that he spots something new just on the horizon.  
A bobbing white object with bright orange pontoons and a large red 11, lying on its side. Another pod! Gordon never thought he'd ever been so excited to see another human being, not since he was six and his little sister was born.  
Another survivor must be inside.  
He looks down at his pod, quickly surveying the damages, then back at the one slowly making it's way toward him and the safety of the shallows.  
He drops back down into his pod with a THUD and slosh of water, thankful that he'd thought fast enough to grab his work bag, tucked underneath his seat. He pulls out the repair tool, pops in a fresh battery and gets to work fixing everything he can, finding an odd comfort in the smell of melting plastic and sparking metal.  
Nearly fifteen minutes had past before the siren stops and the small ceiling lights flicker to life, a familiar whirling filling his head as his systems began to reconnect and run diagnostics.  
"Thank Lord Nye." Gordon exhales, setting the tool aside before going to the Emergency Cache and popping it open.  
Inside are the standard two dozen gallons of purified water, a two weeks' worth of Nutri blocks for a fully occupied pod (or a month for one person), water purification tablets, two waterproof blanket-tarps, a basic first aid, six flares, ten feet of rope and what he was looking for in the first place.  
He picks up the collapsible shovel that doubled as a paddle, clipped it to his suit, shouldering the rope before climbing back up the ladder.  
The other pod is closer now, but still a fair distance. He makes his way out of the hatch and down the outside ladder, watching the water splash against the pontoon, impossibly clear, showing a sandy floor, darting sea life and colorful coral.  
Securing himself to the ladder with a titanium clip, he extends the shovel and begins to paddle carefully but steadily along, doing his best to ignore the pricks of hunger beginning in his stomach.  
It takes well over twenty minutes before Gordon finally reaches the other pod, and by then sweat drips from his brow and his rebooted systems are online, informing him of his need for fluid and protein intake, but he ignores it for now.  
He ties the pods together as best he can with the rope before crossing over to number 11, feeling it jolt and sway under his weight, finding there to be a blasted out hole just big enough to climb through if need be.  
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"  
He climbs up and plops himself onto the edge of the blackened metal, looking below into the shadows of the pod before unclipping the small flashlight from his belt and turning it on.  
For a moment, he fears that the occupants of the pod had been lost in whatever event caused the blasted out hole when he sees someone lying limply on the wall of the pod, a shimmering telling Gordon that there's water leaking in from somewhere else.  
The lanky figure is wearing the jumpsuit worn by those of the Aurora crew, their back to Gordon, hair long and partially dyed a vibrant violet.  
"Hello?" Gordon calls again then swallows. "...I'm coming down."  
Taking care not to cut or hurt himself on the warped jagged metal, landing on the ladder then carefully onto the floor with a splash.  
The water is cold as it seeps through his jumpsuit after he kneels down and gently turns the figure onto their back, finding a fair bearded face with a splattering of freckles and a series of small cuts and bruises turn limply toward him.  
He realizes that he recognizes the face, that of one of the kitchen workers, those that the nutritionists relayed their orders too so the daily meals were delicious and well balanced, though he cannot recall their name.  
Gordon feels a swell of relief regardless as he checks their heart beat and finds it to be slow but steady, equal to that of someone in a deep sleep. There's a cut on the other side of their face, just above their temple, reddened with blood but thankfully not deep enough to require stitches.  
"Hello?" He carefully shakes their shoulder. "Can you hear me? You need to wake up."  
They don't respond at first but after a few more shakes and gentle calling, their eyes slowly flicker open, confusion in the gentle pools of violet-blue.  
"....Dr. Rosenfield...?"  
Gordon blinks in surprise.  
"You know me?"  
"...Been serving you turkey and pepper jack on whole wheat with dill pickles, Sunny Day cheese crisps and decaf Mountain Rain tea every day at lunch for the past six months..." Gordon carefully helps them sit up, seeing their grimace before settling against the wall. "You need more variety in your life, man..."  
"How do you feel? Does anything feel sprained or broken? Can you...recall your name? What terms may I refer to you as?"  
"...My body hurts like a motherfucker and I think my wrist might broken but I'm okay otherwise." He flinches as he tries to move said wrist. "And it's Marvin. Marvin Allen Stellaerran, card code 554900...he/him is fine."  
"Good. For we need to get you out of this pod." Gordon is well aware of the rising water in the compartment. "Gather your belongings while I pack your rations so we may return to my pod."  
"O-Okay..." Marvin looks around, relief on his face as he spies what appears to be a purple and black satchel jammed underneath one of the pod chairs. "How bad is it out there? Are we close to land? Any idea how long before the rescue team shows up?"  
Gordon, who'd never hesitated to answer someone's questions when he knew the answers, does so now. And a kind of fear shows in Marvin's eyes as he sees the subtle change in the engineers expression.  
"Doc?...What is it?, what's wrong?"  
"...Perhaps it is best you see it for yourself, Mr. Stellaerran."  
~X~


	2. Faith and Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gordon and Marvin settle in for the beginning of their journey together

The water is nearly thigh high by the time they're able to finish packing everything valuable, for Gordon to climb back out with everything and sit on the edge of the hole, reaching down a hand for Marvin.  
"Come. Jump."  
"Are you sure about this?"  
"Do you doubt my ability to pull you up, Mr. Stellaerran?"  
"No! I..."  
"Then jump." Gordon pauses then sighs. "Please."  
After another moment of consideration, Marvin jumps and grabs Gordon's arm with his good hand, still very surprised as the engineer pulls him up so easily out of the slowly flooding pod, carefully sitting him on the lip at his side.  
Gordon drops his gaze as he hears a horrified gasp from his companion, feeling Marvin hold onto his arm tightly.  
"By the Grace of the Mother..." The young man's voice trembles with fear as he looks all around and finally lays his eyes on the Aurora's remains. He sounds almost childlike as he asks quietly. "We're gonna die here, aren't we?"  
"No, no we will not, Mr. Stellaerran." Gordon wishes he held as much faith in his heart as he hears in his voice. "We will carve a place for ourselves here once we convene with the other survivors and make do until help arrives. And help will arrive."  
It's clear that Marvin has no such faith but he suppresses the tears that threaten to overflow as he cradles his injured wrist and swallows with great difficulty.  
"...What do we do next, then?"  
"Some aid for you and some food for our bellies." He turns his back to Marvin. "Climb on and I will get us across."  
Despite everything, Marvin feels a burst of appreciation for the doctor and for the fact that he wasn't alone.  
"Alright then..."  
He does as ordered after putting on the supply packs, taking care to avoid hurting his wrist more as he wrapped his arms around Gordon's neck.  
“Hang on.”  
“I-I am.”  
Gordon stands shakily, moving carefully down the side until he’s able to reach the ladder rungs of his pod, Marvin having wrapped his legs around his companion's waist in some far off hope of feeling like he wasn't about to fall into the sea and drown.  
The pods shift precariously as a strong series of waves pass, Marvin's grip tightening around Gordon as the dark haired man fought to keep his balance, each one’s hearts hammering.  
“Pl-Please be careful.”  
“It's alright. We are alright.”  
By some miracle and with some careful shambling, Gordon makes sure Marvin is settled into the life pod before he unties the two and watches as Pod 11 slowly slips down into the water.  
Marvin is in one of the seats and going through the satchels when Gordon closes the hatch and settles on the floor with his back to the ladder, eyes closing as he exhaled and lent backwards.  
"Here, Doc." He looks up and finds Marvin holding out what appears to be a Protein and Gravy Nutri-Block mixed with some water in a bowl. "It's not great but it'll fill you up."  
"Thank you..."  
Marvin has his own bowl and the two scarf down the meager meal in silence, speaking only to ask for the jug of water.  
“Nutri-Blocks have never tasted so good.” Marvin said after nearly licking the bowl clean, slumping back with a heavy exhale. "I'm still hungry, though..."  
"Well, it's possible that flora and fauna of this planet will be edible, so with luck, we won't be solely reliant on the rations."  
Gordon washed down the bland taste of the Nutri-Block mixture with some water before leaning against the ladder and running a hand through his hair in an absent attempt to fix it, flinching as he brushes the gash on his forehead.  
“You’ve got a really nasty cut there, sir.”  
"It would appear so."  
“Well, we should get bandaged up now that we’ve eaten...” He looks down nervously. “You'll help me properly set my wrist?”  
“Of course.”  
Gordon opens up the first aid, a medium sized red case about the size of a toaster, pulling a small black object the length of a pencil and width of playing card.  
Marvin fights back a flinch as Gordon gently held his wrist, surprising the cook with how soft his hand is, before running the small black object over it a few times.  
After a few moments, a series of soft *blips* go off and Marvin is curious as the blue rings of his eyes flicker and glow in response.  
"Good new or bad news first, Mr. Stellaerran?"  
"Bad?"  
"There's two breaks in the wrist."  
"Then the good?"  
"They're clean. We shouldn't have any problem setting it and having it heal quickly. I wish we had better equipment but what we have will do." He grabs what appears to be a brace but with an inner glow. "Are you prepared?"  
Marvin gulps and nods.  
"Yes."  
"Then on the count of three." He carefully slides the brace on and set the timer. "One...two-"  
There's a dull *CRUNCH* and Marvin screams, nearly kicking out and hitting Gordon in the chest.  
"FUCK-!" He doubles over, a soft cry escaping him as he breaths in rapid uneven breaths. "What...What the fuck happened to three!?"  
"My apologies, I thought it best to spare you the wait."  
Marvin looks up, tears slipping down his cheeks.  
"Well it fucking wasn't!"  
Gordon recoils in surprise, at the clear sign of crying and the anger in his voice.  
"...I will take that into notice. My apologies again."  
"Sure, whatever." He sniffs, wiping his face. "Next time, just bash me in the head and knock me out."  
"As you wish. But for now, take these." Gordon shakes out a few pain killers from the bottle in the first aid. "They will numb the pain, help you sleep."  
"...Thanks, I guess." Yet instead of taking the pills, he sets them aside. "Before that, let me help you with your cuts."  
"There's no need-"  
"Dude, just shut up and let me help."  
It's not easy going, but Marvin and Gordon help each other clean then bandage one another's cuts and apply cream to their shared burns, all the while the sun travels across the sky outside and begins to dip below the horizon.  
"There." Marvin, recovered from his shock, smiles faintly as he smooths the band-aid on the last cut on Gordon's cheek. "All done."  
"Yes....Thank you."  
Gordon is mid-search through his internal systems for information on the planet they'd crashed on and what he'd need to fully repair their pod when Marvin finishes, eyes flickering up to look at the freckled man's face.  
"We should rest now. We'll have much to do tomorrow."  
"By the Mother, I could sleep a week..." Marvin yawns, finally popping the pain medication. "Which side of the floor do you want?"  
"It matters not to me."  
They lay out the waterproof blankets in the small spaces on either side of the ladder, and lie down to where they're facing each other, Marvin on his belly, curled up with a satchel set under his head, and Gordon on his back, secondary blanket rolled up as a pillow.  
"Systems, lower lights by 90%." The lights immediately dim and Gordon sighs softly. "Set timer for...10:30 AM."  
There's a confirmational BEEP and the duo fall quiet, listening to the sound of the waves outside the pod.  
Gordon is nearly asleep when he hears Marvin sniffle.  
"...Dr. Rosenfield?"  
Blue rings glow in the shadows as Gordon turns toward his companion.  
"Yes?"  
"...Do you really think anyone else made it?"  
"...I hope so, Mr. Stellaerran."  
"...My little brother was on the ship with me." His voice is quivering, childlike in fear. "We...We got separated in the panic and...and I don't even know if he made if off the Aurora."  
Gordon feels a pang in his chest, like before, but stronger, unable to help but think of his own siblings, back on his home planet, affectionately known as The Meatball. The youngest of them, Maya, would have been over twenty once he returned, had the mission stayed the course...but now, it was quite possible he'd never see her again.  
"...I cannot promise that we will find him, Mr. Stellaerran, but I can say that we will try..."  
Marvin reaches across the way and touches Gordon's shoulder with his good hand.  
"Thank you."  
"You're welcome." The blue rings disappear as he closes his eyes. "Now get some rest if you can."  
He hears gentle snoring within a few moments and once he's sure Marvin is fast asleep, he hesitantly reaches up and touches the hand that lingered beside his shoulder for a brief moment before Gordon turns away and allows the sounds of the sea to lull him to sleep.  
~X~


	3. The Plunge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days pass and it's time for Gordon to find what lies beneath the waves, while Marvin makes strides of his own

The days pass by and the survivors slowly develop a routine.  
Gordon wakes up first, often before the alarms he sets, working on the repairs for the pod as best he can with what little they have. Marvin, who he's surprised to learn had some knowledge in electrical engineering that he learned from his brother, Chase, messes with the radio transceiver, trying to get it to work.  
But alas, at noon of the fifth day, Gordon decides to take the plunge, quite literally, and explore a little of the shallows below them, hoping to find some kind of scrap from the Aurora they could repurpose or some fish to bring back so they could have something more substantial then Nutri-Blocks.  
"Doc, are you sure this is a good idea?"  
"The systems have given us the all clear. The water here is far cleaner and safer then many of the planets I've been too."  
"But we don't have any idea what's down there-"  
"And we will never know unless I go."  
"Okay, okay...do you want to take one of my knives?"  
Gordon is in the process of putting his legs into the water through the opening on the floor of the pod, suppressing a chill at how cold it is, when he pauses then looks up at Marvin, who was holding a ceramic kitchen blade, a lovely blue with a dazzling star pattern.  
"...Do you have a holder for it? It would seem unwise to carry it without one."  
"O-Oh, yeah, here." He slides it into a faux leather sheath with a matching star pattern then offering it again. "...Be careful, Doc. Please."  
Gordon feels an odd twinge in his heart, hearing the concern for him in Marvin's voice, and seeing it in his eyes as he looks up from attaching the knife to his belt.  
"...I will. Do not worry for me, Mr. Stellaerran."  
"You'll learn that I worry alot, Doc, even in non survival situations." He chuckles, for the first time since they came to be here, pointed ears tinging pink. "And you can call me Marvin. Since we'll be spending alot of time together."  
"...Marvin it shall be, then." Gordon looks down at the ever shifting reflection of his face in the water. "I should be back before dark."  
"I'll be here... I'd say with something warm for dinner, but that'll depend if I can get the stupid pod to let me use the cooking pad." Exasperated, Marvin smacks the nearest pod wall with his good hand. "It's not even broken, the system AI is just mean!"  
Gordon utters a short laugh, not catching the soft look of wonder that comes to Marvin's face at the sound before he takes a deep breath then drops down into the water.  
After spending his life visiting dozens of worlds, Gordon couldn't deny the beauty of 4846B, the crystal clear water filled with the darting of odd fish, colorful coral and plant-life.  
He swims in easy strokes out from beneath the pod to the surface, where he takes as deep a breath as he can manage before ducking back into the water, heading for a nearby bit of dense plant-life, vines with strange glowing baubles.  
Marvin watches the world below through the little door, sees the strange little fish and pale wavering sand.  
He sighs, closing the hatch then sitting back, pawing at his hair with his good hand before wandering over to the storage box, busying himself with checking their reserves despite knowing full well that there was exactly as much in there now as there had been when he checked after breakfast-  
His stomach rumbles and he stares longingly at the dried fruit pouches and crackers they'd found in a waterproof bag that had floated by the other day, before shaking those desires away and shutting the lid with a firm click.   
"Guess I'll mess with the radio some more..."  
He murmurs with a sigh, drinking more water from their purification system to subside his hunger, trying not to think of home.   
Time passes and, despite some detours brought on by the young man's curiosity, Gordon finally reaches the plants, staring at the gentle swaying stalks as his systems analyzed them.   
He feels a swelling of near excitement as he learns they're perfectly edible, and he uses the star knife to harvest the leaves, putting them into the net bag he'd brought along, already carrying the still forms of strange big eyed fish called Peepers.  
As he easily cuts through the leaves, he can't help but notice strange fish that almost resemble crocodiles swimming amongst the vines, white and striped. It seemed to be...carrying something?   
*Some kind of machinery...?*  
He goes up for a breath, giving his aching lungs a moment before going down again, cautiously approaching the creature with it's chunk of scrap, seeing what looks like several others hidden away in the nook of some stones and coral.  
It seems to look at him with beady eyes as he gets a little closer, and, taken with a sudden idea, Gordon pulls out one of the fish from his bag, holding it out to where the creature can see before tossing it.  
The creature drops the scrap and darts after the Peeper, snapping it up in it's jaws then disappearing into the vines, and Gordon doesn't hesitate to snatch up that piece of scrap, as well as a few others, putting them quickly into a secondary bag, this one thicker and more durable, before kicking off, and moving away before the creature had the chance to come back.   
By now, his stomach is gnawing at itself and he's quite tired from swimming and hauling things around with him. The sun has begun to turn the water amber and soft green colors as it set and as it slowly disappears, he heads back to their pod.   
He leaves the bag of scrap and electronics hanging from the outside ladder, only bringing the one of leaves and fish up to the hatch.  
He opens it with a soft creak, looking down and seeing the dual hair colored chef knelt before the radio.  
"I'm back, Marvin-"   
"Doc!"  
His violet-blue eyes are wide with excitement, a big smile on his face as he turns to face Gordon, nearly hopping as the scientist closed the hatch and climbed the rest of the way down.  
"Yes?"  
"The radio! I think I fixed it! I mean, I swear I heard voices!"

~X~


End file.
